May 2009
Austin Toy Fair
5/26/2009
Austin experienced its first toy collectors and sellers show in years, Chemical Toy Fair, this past weekend (May 23) at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Austin. The event was sponsored by Out of the Past Collectibles.
But it's not all toys and games; the event has a charitable aspect as well. Some proceeds from the event went to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Austin Browncoats were given a booth at the Fare, where we collected donations for to The Kids Need to Read Foundation.
Don't worry if you were unable to make it to this event. Plans are underway to hold another "Fare" in November!
News 8 Austin did a piece on the Chemical Toy Fare. You can read the article here. The Austin Browncoats are mentioned in this accompanying video segment.
Austin CSTS Tickets on Sale
5/22/2009
It's that time again! Time to get ready for Austin's Can't Stop the Serenity! June 28th is the day, but you don't have to wait until then to get your tickets.
That's right! Tickets are on sale now at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek website for all three event showings - 12PM, 5PM, and 10PM. Tickets are $15 if you purchase from the site in advance, and $18 at the door on the day of the event.
We've got our schedule planned out and ready too! Take a look at the official Austin CSTS website for a peek at what's in store for Austin CSTS 2009.
Proceeds from this year's CSTS Austin are going to Equality Now and The Kids Need to Read Foundation. Kids Need To Read is a children's literacy non-profit organization who will take the money we raise and put it back into Austin's underprivileged schools, libraries and shelters.
FAN-tastic Giveaway!
5/19/2009
Austin Browncoats will be giving away a shiny prize (hint: it's sharp!) when we hit the 200 fan mark on Facebook! Just head over to our Facebook page, become a fan, and keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter for the Fan-tastic Giveaway when we reach 200 FB fans.
Our last prize giveaway was an autographed photo of Felicia Day. @katrina_v was the first person to reply (via Twitter or Facebook) with a photo of herself giving a Vulcan salute! Congratulations @katrina_v!
Now go, become a fan, and tell your friends! Maybe you can win on the next go-round!
What is Air Combat?
5/11/2009
Geekstravaganza 2009, a charity geekfest organized by the Austin Browncoats, is holding an Air Combat Tournament as one of the main events. For those curious as to what exactly Air Combat is, take a look at this demonstration video. Full rules and registration information can be found at the Geekstravaganza website.
Proceeds from Geekstravaganza 2009 are going to SafePlace, an amazing non-profit shelter working to end violence.
Equality Now News Bulletin
Take Action against rape simulator games
and the normalization of sexual violence in Japan
5/6/2009
Equality Now has just issued "Women’s Action 33.1 Japan: Rape simulator games and the normalization of sexual violence". The Action focuses on the rape simulator game RapeLay, which is produced and sold in Japan, including through Amazon Japan. The aim of RapeLay is for the player to manipulate the game in order to simulate raping a woman and her two school-aged daughters, one of whom appears to be a young child. Equality Now is calling for the withdrawal from sale in Japan of all games that involve rape, stalking or other forms of sexual violence against women and girls. The Action also urges the Japanese government to take effective measures to overcome negative stereotypical sex-discriminatory attitudes and practices that hinder women’s equality.
To make a contribution to Equality Now, visit the EN website.
Geekstravaganza Tickets on Sale
5/1/2009
Tickets are on sale at our website: http://geekstravaganza.com/tickets.php. Even if you can't make it, think about donating the value of a ticket to SafePlace. You can do so by purchasing a ticket to our event as a one-time donation. Hope to see you there!
Geekstravaganza 2009 is a charity geekfest organized by the Austin Browncoats with proceeds going to SafePlace, an amazing non-profit shelter working to end violence.
Air Combat Tournament Call for Participants
5/1/2009
Looking for something fun to do on May 17th? Tired of playing Tekken and Soul Calibur at home with your friends? Always wanted to compete in Austin's Air Guitar tournaments, but realized your guitar skills are lacking? Or maybe you're just a huge fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme and want to show Chong Li a thing or two about saying "matte".
Sounds like you need to compete in our Air Combat match! Never heard of Air Combat, huh? We're not surprised. We just made it up!
Here are the rules and all the information you need to be a part of it.
- There will be no physical contact during this tournament. All fighting will be done against a live opponent, but contact will only be made with the air. Or their invisible appendages. If there is any contact, the person responsible is automatically disqualified.
- You can use any form of combat during this competition, i.e. kung fu, taekwondo, shootfighting, heavyweight boxing, but please keep it clean. No air-eye gouging, no air-crouch shots and no air-biting.
- Maximum number of competitors: Six
- We will allow you to fight for up to 2 minutes.
- There will be three first round matches, with contestants chosen at random. The three winners will be placed from first place to third place. Second and third place contestants will air fight, and the winner of this match will fight the first place contestant from the first round. Whoever wins the final match wins the prize!
- You will need to sign up for air combat ahead of time, as well as sign a liability waiver. Please email ryan@austinbrowncoats.com to sign up for Air Combat, as well as set up your event bio.
- Live strong. Fight hard. Air combat!
Join us at Buffalo Billiards on May 17th starting at 5:00PM to celebrate Geekstravaganza 2009, a charity geekfest the Austin Browncoats host to raise money for a worthy cause while uniting Geeks, Nerds and Browncoats alike. This year, we're supporting SafePlace, in their goal to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change.
For more information, visit: Air Combat Tournament. To sign up, email Ryan at: ryan@austinbrowncoats.com
See you at Geekstravaganza and don't forget to put up your "Dux".
All-Geek Talent Show - Have you got talent?
5/1/2009
In 2007, we had some of the best talent in Austin compete for the top award in Geekiness, first place in the Geekstravaganza Talent Show. The winner, Ernie Cline created the geek favorite, Fanboys.
Second place went to the extremely talented Cry Havoc, a martial arts performance group. Would you like to be part of this extraordinary group of talented individuals?
Sign up for Geekstravaganza 2009's Talent Show. Here are the rule:
- You must sign up for the Talent Show prior to the event. Sign up's will end either before May 13th or when we reach our maximum capacity for acts.
- All acts must be under 7 minutes. We will have about 7 to 8 acts within 75 minutes, so shorter is better.
- Space is limited, so the maximum number of act participants is 6 adults. If you require an allowance for more people, you'll need to get that approved ahead of time.
- In all cases, decisions of the judges are final and will not be open to debate, unless we determine a Lincoln-Douglas is required.
- All acts must be somehow geek-related.
- All acts must be appropriate for this event. We are supporting the charity, SafePlace. Please review the Austin Browncoats mission statement and our support charities for more information.
Join us at Buffalo Billiards on May 17th starting at 5:00PM to celebrate Geekstravaganza 2009, a charity geekfest the Austin Browncoats host to raise money for a worthy cause while uniting Geeks, Nerds and Browncoats alike. This year, we're supporting SafePlace , in their goal to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change.
For more information, visit: All-Geek Talent Show. To sign up for the Talent Show, please email Claudia at claudia@austinbrowncoats.com with your Name(s), Act Name, Phone Number, Best Form of Contact (email, phone number, etc.) and a 150 word or less description of your act, including a genre title, i.e. poetry, martial arts, singing, dancing, etc.
See you at the show. Bring your best material, because you're going to need it!
Volunteer Spotlight
May 1, 2009
We appreciate all of our volunteers' hard work and dedication. We also know that some volunteers go above and beyond the call of duty. Every quarter, we'll announce our Volunteer Spotlight, an outstanding Austin Browncoat Volunteer.
These star volunteers are nominated by other Austin Browncoats. To nominate star volunteers, visit our volunteer page: www.austinbrowncoats.com/volunteer.php
Second Quarter 2009
Volunteer Spotlight: Outstanding Volunteer
Brooks Powers